Category Archives: SIBO Made Simple

We’ve covered a lot of ground in season 2 of SIBO Made Simple, and along the way we’ve received some amazing listener questions, many of which are related to the food piece of the puzzle. In today’s episode, we’re asking a nutritionist all of our diet-related digestion questions. To answer them, I have Kristy Regan, a Holistic Nutritionist who specializes in gastrointestinal disorders, and also author of the book, The SIBO Diet Plan

If you don’t hear your question, don’t stress—there’s a big possibility I’ll be getting to it with a dedicated episode in season 3 when we return in the fall!

A quick taste of what we’ll cover:

• How you determine if someone even needs a SIBO diet
• Who is a restrictive diet not good for and what approach you take with these people
• Why you may be more food sensitive now than before going low FODMAP
• The best way to reintroduce foods
• The best long-term changes we can make to prevent relapse
• What to eat on days when you’re having horrible distension and pain
• Top tips for managing sweet cravings and hunger
• How fermented foods factor into treatment and recovery
• How to not fear food on a SIBO diet
• Pointers for vegetarians / vegans who need to take on a SIBO diet
• And so much more…

The elemental diet is the most impactful data-backed treatment for SIBO. And yet, it’s often misused, misunderstood and generally met with last resort trepidation. Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Michael Ruscio to demystify this approach and talk more about how he uses it for SIBO treatment, IBD, celiac, and other cases involving a highly-damaged gut.

For those who thought you could never last two weeks only drinking your calories (ahem, I get it), Dr. Ruscio provides plenty of flexibility and advice on using the elemental diet as a meal replacement supplement. You guys have been asking for this episode, so I’d love to hear what you think!

A quick taste of what we’ll cover:

How the elemental diet works to treat SIBO and the healing potential for leaky gut

What should you look for when picking a formula and what to avoid?

Risks and side effects to watch out for

Myth busting the Candida issue

Die-off versus negative reactions to a treatment – how you can tell the difference between the two

How to pair the elemental diet with other SIBO treatments

The best methods for reintegrating food back into your life and how a low FODMAP elimination plan can overlap

Keeping your blood sugar stable and other troubleshooting while on the diet

Back by popular demand is another powerful SIBO survivor story. In today’s episode, Shivan Sarna is sharing her experience of uncovering her root causes, from Lyme disease to mold exposure, and how she became the patient expert she is today.

Shivan is the founder of SIBO SOS, where she hosts monthly master classes to support others on their journey to understand, treat, and manage IBS, SIBO, and other digestive issues. Relying on her past as a yoga teacher and 20 years of experience hosting live TV, Shivan’s superpower is asking the questions SIBO patients have and then making that information easily understood and actionable.

For those of you who have been asking for a patients’ perspective, more information on underlying causes, how to vet practitioners to build your SIBO medical team, and navigate a SIBO diet as a vegetarian, this episode is for you.

A quick taste of what we’ll cover:

Mold and Lyme exposure and what that looks like as a root cause for SIBO

What it’s like to be a “canary” constantly reacting to everything in your environment

We talk about Shivan’s SIBO misdiagnosis and whether or not to believe your breath test results

The importance of uncovering underlying causes

The biggest mistakes people make when trying to eradicate SIBO

What products are essentials for your medicine cabinet and pantry for dealing with SIBO symptoms

A lot of integrative medicine these days blends practices from Western science and ancient cultures. But rarely do we get to fully understand the principles of the Eastern approach and how we can apply them to our healing journey.

In today’s episode, I have one of my personal practitioners, Dr. Heidi Lovie, discussing the tenets of Chinese Medicine, including modalities like acupuncture, herbs, moxabustion and gua sha, and what they teach us about thyroid and gut disorders. Heidi is a member of the HashiPosse herself, so we go deep on how acupuncture, manual therapy and dietary changes can make up the secret sauce for Hashimoto’s healing.

If you’ve be wanting to try acupuncture, or are curious why it works so well for chronic conditions like Hashimoto’s and SIBO, this episode includes so much wisdom.

A quick taste of what we’ll cover:

How Chinese Medicine teaches us to live in harmony with nature and what this means in our modern world

What changes our bodies have undergone between 2019 BC and 2019 today

Why gua sha and manual work is so essential for thyroid therapy – all you need is a ceramic soup spoon!

The best diet for Hashimoto’s and why keto + a low carb approach isn’t the best fit

SIBO, parasites, and opportunistic viruses – the category they all fit into and how to treat them

When to use herbs and when to use acupuncture to treat a gut issue

How to detox properly according to Chinese Medicine and what the seasons mean for our diet

CBD has become a big buzz word in the wellness world, as a salve for everything from anxiety to gut issues to period pain. But what is it and how does it actually work? In today’s episode, I’m joined by Chloe Weber, a trained herbalist, acupuncturist and founder of Radical Roots, which combines the power of Chinese herbs with full spectrum hemp.

Chloe got into the world of hemp because of her son Remy, who has been using various CBD formulas to ease a neurological condition. She’s a wealth of knowledge about how the endocannabinoid system works, what deliveries best serve digestive disorders, and how to use both hemp and cannabis as part of your SIBO plant medicine cabinet.

If you’ve been wondering whether hemp-based extracts are worth all the anti-inflammatory hype, this episode has so many incredible takeaways!

A quick taste of what we’ll cover:

The difference between CBD and THC

How to use CBD and THC to treat anxiety, insomnia, SIBO, neurological issues and epilepsy

The best formulas and delivery methods for gut health

Why smoking hemp or cannabis might be a better choice in certain situations than taking an oil or edible

Product terminology to beware of and what you want to see on a package to ensure its therapeutic grade and not snake oil

And so much more…

Resources, mentions and notes:

Where to find Chloe Weber and her full spectrum hemp line, Radical Roots

SIBO Made Simple listeners can take 20 percent off her products with code SIBO20

Is it possible that the most potent medicine in your bathroom is what’s getting flushed down the toilet every day?

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) – taking stool from a healthy person and using it to recolonize the colon of someone with a dysbiotic microbiome – has been one of the most exciting areas of medical research in the last five years.

The simple power of poop has been found to be 92 percent effective in treating the opportunistic and antibiotic resistant bacteria C. difficile, with patients reporting dramatic recoveries within 12 hours.

Though these “ick factor” therapies remain experimental, having not yet received full FDA backing, hundreds of trials are underway across the country to determine their future in treating IBD, SIBO autism, obesity and other inflammatory conditions. And plenty more people have taken matters into their own hands to try their luck with fecal transplants at home.

Today on the podcast, we talk about all things stool transplants: how they work, who might benefit most, and what we still don’t understand about their efficacy within the whole microbial ecosystem in all its complexity. Joining me is Dr. Andrea McBeth of Flora Medicine, who is one of the leading experts in the field.

Make sure to listen to the end of the episode as she also addresses the recent controversy over the FDA halting several trials using fecal transplants and what the future might hold for Big Pharma and every day sufferers.

A quick taste of what we’ll cover:

How FMT works and the best mechanisms for delivery for various gut issues

Why all the other matter in your poop is equally if not more important than the bacteria when recolonizing your microbiome

SIBO, IBD, autism, obesity and other inflammatory conditions that are being explored right now with FMT treatment

Research shows that so much of what sets us up for good gut health later in life happens during early childhood. And yet, it’s often when we take our biggest missteps. In today’s episode, we go beyond SIBO to talk about the rules of greater gut health, why our detachment from the earth is making sick, and how by simply getting dirtier we can correct some of the microbiome mistakes from our youth.

I’m joined by Dr. Maya Shetreat, who is a pediatric neurologist, herbalist, urban farmer, and bestselling author of The Dirt Cure: Healthy Food, Healthy Gut, Happy Child. In our chat, we discuss what’s happening in a developing gut and how some of the popular ills of childhood – like ear infections, fever, rashes, colic, hyperactivity – relate to food sensitivities and a damaged microbiome. More importantly, Dr. Maya gives us some concrete advice on natural alternatives to conventional over-the-counter drugs that might be damaging your kid’s microbiome further.

If you’re someone who is still putting together all the pieces of your health puzzle (or a child’s) this conversation will bring a lot of aha moments, and offer plenty of suggestions for moving forward.

A quick taste of what we’ll cover:

How the genetic vulnerabilities we’re born with play out via our lifestyle and environmental triggers

What being out in nature does for our nervous system and biodiversity

How the microbiome interacts with the microvirome – our body’s ecosystem of viruses

Why childhood fevers are so important for immune development

How gut health impacts the nervous system and why certain children present with neurological issues like ADHD or Autism, and others will get an ear infection

Why early childhood emotional or physical trauma can affect gut health later in life

SIBO breath testing has been the subject of some pushback in the wider medical community. Today’s episode discusses some of the controversy around the effectiveness of breath testing, when it’s worth doing, how to make sure your results are accurate, and what other tests might be better at getting to the bottom of your gut issues.

Joining me is Dr. Patrick Fratellone, a functional cardiologist and herbalist who used to practice with the late Dr. Robert C. Atkins. He takes us through how he does his gut detective work as a functional medicine doctor, including what comprehensive tests on genetics, vitamin levels and intestinal permeability can tell you about your bigger gut picture.

If you’re someone who’s been debating whether or not to get a breath test for SIBO, this episode might help you weigh that decision.

A quick taste of what we’ll cover:

Whether doing a SIBO breath test is worth your time, money and energy

What other tests are necessary to determine how your small intestine is functioning

Why vitamin D levels are great indicators of your gut health

How Dr. Fratellone goes through his process of elimination (hint: SIBO is not the first condition to rule out)

MTHFR genes and what they tell you about your health picture, including SIBO